Happy Study Time

It has been a wonderful year (or we used to say so...). And now it’s ending. So let’s recap. Like every year before it, this one was filled with moments that shook us as humanity. Some loud, some silent. But in all of that, in the hills of eastern Nepal, these adults are learning the ABCDE strategy for chronic kidney disease . I mean, why is that so impressive?—be honest. Because in places where access to healthcare is limited, where formal education is rare, and where prevention is often dismissed as a luxury, we found that learning still happens and people can understand their bodies. They made it simple. Not simplistic—simple. And that simplicity turned out to be powerful. Because watching older adults—many of whom had never heard the term “ chronic kidney disease ”—raise placards spelling A-B-C-D-E was more than an educational exercise. Each placard raised was a small act of resistance against the quiet assumption that some lives are not worth explaining things to. This w...

  Since 1997, we’ve known that heart failure is a syndrome, and the positive predictive value increases when multiple findings are present. But is semiology the key? I wouldn’t say it gives us the best diagnostic accuracy. However, it does give us something far more valuable—the ability to think like real doctors again .   ☝ Davie AP, Francis CM, Caruana L, Sutherland GR, McMurray JJ. Assessing diagnosis in heart failure: which features are any use? QJM. 1997 May;90(5):335-9. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/90.5.335. PMID: 9205668.

  Now we have p-values and 95% confidence intervals to suggest (and only suggest) : When you mistreat medical students, they burn out, stop caring about their patients, and question every life decision that led them here.  Groundbreaking. Evidence Highlights   🔥 Burnout:  Students who reported mistreatment more than once had Exhaustion: β = 1.81, p < .001.  A whole extra point on the burnout scale. Clinically and statistically significant. 👀  Disengagement: β = 0.71, p < .001. That empty stare in lecture is measurable. 👀 💔 Empathy Loss For each 1-point drop in emotional climate, empathy scores dropped β = –0.13, p < .001. Toxic environments literally reduce empathy.  Poor faculty interaction also correlated with empathy loss: β = –0.07, p < .001. So yes, a sarcastic attending and passive-aggressive evaluations can actually alter brain chemistry (citation: this study and life in general). 😞 Career Regret:  Students exposed to ...

  “Professor X the telepath dies. Meanwhile, Magneto meets the Myel of Apocalypse.”  Phrase that the comic Age of Apocalypse didn’t say ... but should’ve. Professor X ruled the early brain. He was the Prosencephalon (He is the Pro, no doubt ) — the great forebrain. Wise, calm, and visionary. A telepath who could see what others could not. He divided to share his power — and in doing so, he had to die: Telencephalon (Telepath) : seat of memory, motion, and language Diencephalon (Dies) : master of hormone, relay, and emotion Meanwhile ( Mesencephalon )...  A dramatic shift in the story, splitting the narrative into deeper layers. Things are getting intense. (And yes, cue the 5, 6, 7, 8 💃🕺) There’s Apocalypse — ancient, primal, relentless. And, He’s assembling his four Horsemen ( Rombencephalon ♢). He meets ( Metencephalon)   Magneto — balance, power, coordination. Together, they become the Myel ( Myelencephalon)  of Apocalypse — the medulla, the base of brain...

Forget adrenaline! Forget compressions! What we really need in the middle of a code? Yet another "45-min" lab value to tell us whether our heroic efforts are heading anywhere. Enter stage left: D-dimer . Physiopathologically, there’s something going on — and there’s a reason D-dimer is often elevated (even if it won’t reliably rule in a PE). During cardiac arrest, widespread endothelial injury activates the coagulation cascade intensely, leading to intravascular fibrin formation and subsequent fibrinolysis. This results in elevated circulating levels of D-dimer, a marker of fibrin degradation.  It’s the circle of life... just reversed — and more dramatic. Now, before anyone gets carried away take this: a D-dimer level over 5,205 µg/L on admission isn’t just “elevated.” It’s independently associated with 30-day mortality, with an odds ratio of 5.7. So, It might not tell you something clear, but it’s definitely trying to warn you about the iceberg ahead. 🩸Buchtele, N., Schober...

Opinion article:     It's almost comical, how quickly Artificial Intelligence has moved from science fiction to an undeniable presence in our professional lives. My conviction is simple: this technology can significantly enrich medical education. I'm certainly not suggesting AI will replace the human educator – that's a notion that, fortunately, remains firmly in the realm of speculation. Instead, I see it as a valuable partner, capable of deepening clinical reasoning and clarifying the complexities inherent in medical practice. Sometimes, the resistance to adopting tools that promise real efficiency can be quite surprising. AI, in its most compelling form for academia, offers a pathway to "precision education," tailoring learning to each student's unique needs. This means moving beyond just delivering information; it's about building knowledge that's truly applicable, open to critical examination, and deeply rooted in clinical reality. Today's adv...

By 2045, an estimated 700 million people—10.9% of the global population—will be living with diabetes. And Oncologists should care. Why? Because robust evidence links type 2 diabetes with higher risks of breast cancer, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, colorectal cancer, and endometrial cancer. Before you roll your eyes, thinking this is just a random correlation from a forgotten journal… it’s not. This comes from an umbrella review—basically the academic way of saying, “we reviewed all the reviews, and it´s solid.” Turns out, the long-suspected culprits behind neoplasia—chronic inflammation, hyperinsulinism acting as a growth promoter, and shared risk factors like obesity and inactivity—aren’t just theories anymore. They’re backed by data. And they play a role in the diabetic process. So no, we can’t push for mammograms while ignoring weight gain, insulin resistance, and metabolic health. It’s all connected. 🍬Bhawalkar, J., Nagar, A., Rathod, H., & Verma, P. (2024). Navigating the ...